The chief executives of Apple and Samsung are expected to meet tomorrow in a San Francisco federal court to try to work out their patent dispute, according to a Reuters report.

Apple's Tim Cook and Samsung's Choi Gee-sung, as well as their general counsels, were ordered in April to attend the magistrate judge settlement conference by Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. After the referral was ordered, the companies said in a joint court filing that "as directed by the court, Apple and Samsung are both willing to participate" in the discussions.

Koh has expressed a desire for the companies to try to settle some of their differences out of court. Earlier this month, Koh ordered the companies to pare down the number of claims each plans to make in their intellectual-property lawsuits against each other. The case is scheduled to go to trial on July 30, but Koh suggested that if the companies don't present a more workable set of claims, the trial start date could be delayed until next year.

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Their legal confrontation began in April 2011 when Apple filed a lawsuit in California accusing Samsung of copying "the look and feel" of its iPad tablet and iPhone smartphone. "Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smartphone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface, and innovative style in these infringing products," Apple complained.

Samsung quickly responded with a countersuit against Apple, taking the fight overseas to South Korea, Japan, and Germany.